WATCH: Devotees Offer Live Crabs At Shiva Temple In Surat, Know Why
Though it seems unusual, India has a myriad of temples dedicated to different gods. People from across the country visit some of such famous temples and present different offerings.
While flowers, fruits, sweets and milk are frequently offered to the deities, devotees have discovered a peculiar way to worship Lord Shiva. A video of worshippers offering crabs at a temple devoted to Lord Shiva in Surat, Gujarat has gone viral on social media.
On Thursday, ANI tweeted a video of the same along with the caption, “Devotees offer crabs to Lord Shiva at Ramnath Shiv Ghela temple in Gujarat’s Surat.”
“There is a belief that if you offer crabs here then your ear-related problems will be cured, said Falguni, a devotee.
“Crabs are offered here once a year. We believe that by offering crabs here our children will not have any ear pain,” said Pushpa, another devotee, ANI also tweeted.
Watch Video: Live Crabs Offered in Shiv Temple in Gujarat
#WATCH | Devotees offer crabs to Lord Shiva at Ramnath Shiv Ghela temple in Gujarat’s Surat (18.01) pic.twitter.com/E66MoglQEX
— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2023
The video gives a glimpse of people placing live crabs on the altar of Lord Shiva. In the clip, a woman is also seen taking out a crab from her bag and offering it to the deity. Towards the end of the video, one can notice a large crowd walking towards the altar to give their offerings.
Since being shared on the micro-blogging site twitter, the video has amassed over 43k views and 217 likes.
Social media users were left divided with some having no idea about what was going on, while some shared positive notes. One of the users wrote, “The crabs are later collected by the temple authority and then released in the sea nearby. So yes, no harm is done to these tiny creatures.”
As per popular belief in these parts, a crab touched the feet of Lord Ram when he was near the Tapi river and was blessed by him, since then it is believed those offering live crabs at this temple would see wishes granted and get relief from pain.
